Luke Cage drabbles
by nekilarose
Summary: A place for all of my Luke Cage (mostly ShadyMariah) drabbles
1. She remembers

"Do you remember me from when I was a kid?"  
"No."

At the time it's not a lie. She's got way too much to deal with to stop and try to recall if she knows him.

It doesn't come all at once, it's there in her periphery just hovering, but the more he talks, the clearer it becomes.

When he starts talking about Mama Mabel and her place in the community.

When he mentions how much weight the Stokes name carries.

When he says she'd be surprised at what she's capable of when she finds the nerve (and boy, does she find it, Cornell can attest to that)

It's when he looks at her like she is the answer to all his problems, that she remembers a skinny Puerto Rican kid looking at her the same way. Eyes swollen, lip split, but shoulders straight and still ready to take on the world.

She remembers Mama Mabel taking him on as one of her errand boys, and later, one of Cornell's friends that would always be hanging around when she came home from Howard on break. It's on one of those breaks that she sees he's got ANOTHER black eye (this kid stay getting his ass beat) she thinks and takes pity on him.

She tosses him an old pair of shades "Put these on, until you can back up all that shit you're talking, we can't have you scaring your mom (there's enough there already for her to deal with, but that's a whole other matter)

She remembers his genuine smile that morphs into a smirk when Cornell comes back from the corner store.

She remembers the phantom weight of his gaze even through his shades (kid seriously has no clue on how to be stealthy)

She remembers how he never took them off, except when he spoke to Mama Mabel (and later she realizes that courtesy extends to her as well)

Oh yes, she remembers him. And as he hands her Mama Mabel's gun back, she wonders how she could have ever forgotten him.


	2. He remembers

"Do you remember me from when I was a kid?"

"No."

He's expecting the answer, but it still hits somewhere deep. The skinny kid with the swollen eyes and split lip coming to the surface with a vengeance to make her remember, because he does.

He remembers the power her family name once wielded (and will again if he has anything to say about it)

He remembers that he was once one of those that benefitted from that power (never again ma, I made sure of it this time)

He remembers being absolutely awed that the one time she went toe to toe with Mama Mabel Stokes, Miss Mabel backed down (although that may have had to do with her Uncle Pete being around, something was not right there, but he never could put his finger on it until later)

He reminds her that she has power, real power, buried underneath politics and superficial bullshit to make the changes that she is so desperately campaigning for. When she finds the nerve to unleash that power, it's like he's that awed fifteen year old kid all over again.

He's sure she remembers him now. And as he hands her the champagne bottle that signifies their partnership, he knows he'll always remember her face when he came back from the dead.


	3. Rooftop

Tone's voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

"…was breathing, you seemed non-committal."

At that, the one called Shades glances your way. You can't see his eyes, but something tells you that you're both in danger of rolling your eyes so far back, they might get stuck.

"So I made an executive decision." Tone continues enthusiastically.

Cornell laughs "That's what you call it? An Executive decision, okay so you caught him slipping outside?"

Shades looks off in the distance. It's nighttime, on a roof in Harlem, and he's wearing his trademark shades, but you can both see the writing on the wall. Tone is going on and on about some movie shit Django, Quentin Tarantino, who knows.

"I suggested….we wait" His tone is even, concise, and straight to the point. You think your assistant Alex could learn a lot from him.

Evidently this sets Tone off and he's babbling some nonsense about being part of the crew and giving orders, honestly you're only half listening. You're more interested in watching him. He doesn't falter or change his mind, nor does he argue back. He doesn't shrink back like Tone does when he slips and calls Cornell by his hated nickname.

A few appeasements and Cornell is slipping back into his genial demeanor. He's talking about donating money to help Pops rebuild when off comes the shades, and you feel your heart drop.

"Pops is dead" Even, concise, and straight to the point. You're so focused on him that you're completely taken by surprise when someone (Turk? you think he said) comes up and demands his money.

After that it's a bit of chaos. Tone goes overboard, Turk (wisely) leaves the scene. Cornell hands you the ill-gotten money and instructs you to leave through the side exit. "You shouldn't be seen associating with known criminals….councilwoman."

You feel his eyes on you as you leave.


	4. Goodbye

She's in the morgue, preoccupied by the body covered in a sheet, the numbness she's felt ever since "the incident" receding and giving way to waves of grief, guilt, and a sickening combination relief and shame.

Grief that her little family has shrunk even more.

Guilt that the same hands that helped nurture and raise him up, are the very same ones that tore him down.

Relief that he is no longer an albatross around her neck. Cornell had become obsessed with taking on Luke Cage, and it was only a matter of time before he would drag all of them down.

Shame that the thought even crossed her mind.

She tells him about his father, how special Malik was, how talented, but most of all that his father wanted him, but was lost to the streets of Harlem.

She tells him about his mother, how pretty Jazmine was, with a wildness that even Mama Mabel couldn't tame. How she "wasn't ready to be nobody's mama" and took off.

She tells him that she tried to protect him, she did. But there's only so much protection she could have given when she was also in need of saving.

The words "I'm sorry" get stuck in her throat and as she feels herself start to splinter entirely, she realizes she's not alone.

"You did what you had to do"


	5. Ready

"People are calling them the 'The Defenders'". Alex says as he places the report face up on the councilwoman's desk.

Mariah glanced down over her glasses and scoffed, "Exactly what or whom do they think they're defending?" Taking the report in hand, she studied the pictures that accompanied it.

"I see time in prison hasn't done a damn thing to calm his ass down." She remarked, referring to the man that was fast becoming her own personal nemesis.

Luke Cage had become a formidable thorn in her side, and she briefly considered how much easier her life would be if only her hard-headed cousin had heeded even a sliver of her advice in handling the situation. But that was in the past, and what was done is done. The people of Harlem had accepted him as their savior which, in turn, made her position even more precarious.

Straddling the line between being a successor to Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes (not to mention Mama Mabel) and a local councilwoman who only wanted to do right by her city was an intricate dance that Mariah was still getting used to. Her arrest at the hands of Detective Misty Knight was a setback, but not one that was unsurmountable. Of course, now that Detective Knight was spending her days relearning how to do various tasks with a brand new arm, Mariah knew that her attention would be elsewhere for a while.

The pictures showed two other men, one who looked as if he had a scarf covering his eyes, and the other had the look of a frat boy that got lost on his way back to the party. The lone woman of the quartet had a look of clearly being completely over whatever nonsense she was in the midst of at that moment.

Mariah glanced at the other three and made a mental note to try and learn more about Luke's new playmates, but focused most of her attention on Luke Cage. They weren't Harlem, and as such, held no immediate importance to her.

Luke would be coming back to Harlem, with a bone to pick with not only Diamondback, but her as well.

Mariah Dillard needed to be ready.


	6. Restraints

It's been hours since he was sprung from the police station, but his wrists still have the faint ache from the handcuffs that were applied a little too enthusiastically. He runs his left thumb over his right wrist and presses down on the red angry bruise left by the handcuff latch. He gets the same thrill shooting through him as before, and he shifts in his seat.

He's always known that he had a thing for restraints, and powerful women. Surprisingly (or rather unsurprisingly, being a cop is still mostly a boys club) he's never had the chance to combine the two.

Until now.

Normally when he was in interrogation, his time was spent being annoyed and counting down the minutes until the dumb-asses realized that he wasn't gonna turn on anybody. This time, however, he found it fun to toy with the beautiful inspector. He barely focused on what she was saying, willing her to lean in closer so he could get another whiff of whatever perfume she was wearing.

He's listening to her read off his rap sheet, thoroughly enjoying winding her up, when she says his name with a concentrated roll of the R, and goddamn if that isn't the sexiest thing. He's never liked just anybody saying his name, but in the right hands (or coming out of the right mouth) it's downright lethal.

He's debating whether or not to push back even further when she mentions his arraignment.

2 million dollars? And it's already been paid?

Either Willis was extremely anxious to get him out before he could talk (which was insulting, Shades has never dimed anyone out) or there was someone else with a whole lot of cash and power to get things moving so fast. The only other person he knew was…

Just like that, he's half hard and wants to get out and see his generous benefactor hoping it's the latter, not the former. The inspector finally gives up and retreats in a cloud of fury. As he's collecting his belongings he's lamenting the fact that he has to go because from what he just saw, the inspector is one to watch.

He steps out into the night and sees Zip standing by a black SUV.

The clock is ticking, he's got files to retrieve, a boss that's becoming more and more unstable to answer to, and a backup plan to implement just in case.


	7. Ties

Shades doesn't normally wear ties (considering his line of work, its for the best) but every now and then one finds it's way around his neck. He had considered it a necessary but infrequent evil, until the day he figured out that Mariah has a thing for ties.

Not just any ties, no not for his queen. Designer ties that cost more than they should. Armani, Ferragamo, didn't matter, the pricier the tie the more it was appreciated. And if he just happened to combine that nice tie with an elaborate knot? He still smirks to himself remembering the day he walked in her office wearing a Burberry tie in an Trinity knot. She swept her eyes over him once, abruptly ended her phone conversation and beckoned him to her side.

She rode his face while keeping a tight grip on his fancy tie.

Shades stops at her door now, making sure to adjust his Paul Smith tie that today he has in an Eldridge knot.

He's hoping to test the sturdiness of Mariah's desk.


	8. Suits

Chapter Text

Being the right hand man to the queen of Harlem is not cheap.

Shades knew that if stood any chance of keeping his position (and woman), he had to step up his fashion game. There was a saying, "dress for the job you want, not the one you have". Mariah was a big advocate of appearing presentable whenever he was out and about.

"Perception is everything, Hernan," Mariah had cooed in his ear, "whether you're walking around on the streets or standing alongside me at Harlem's Paradise, you need to look as if you actually belong."

Shades had scoffed while telling Mariah that he was a big boy and was more than capable of dressing himself. Besides, he already had a number of suits that he hadn't had the chance to wear.

"I've seen your closet Hernan, and those are fine if you're going to work at some boring office job," Mariah paused to take a drink, "but I'm willing to bet that they're not bespoke."

He had outright laughed at that. She knew damn good and well they weren't. Mariah smirked and walked to her desk to look through her rolodex. Once she found what she was looking for, she passed the card to Shades, explaining that it was the card of the tailor that Cornell used to go to.

"He does great work, you should go see him." Shades knew it was less of a suggestion, and more of an order.

Which is why he was standing stripped down to damn near nothing while some guy measured him for his custom suits. Having quickly grown bored just standing there, he took a look around the store, stopping when he saw the rather impressive array of ties. Shades chuckled to himself, knowing his lady had a thing for him and ties.

Three weeks later he stood just outside Mariah's door. Clothed in one of his brand new four piece suits (he'd never tell Mariah that she was right about having a custom suit made), he took a minute to adjust his tie. The trinity knot had been a bitch to learn, but he knew it was worth it when the door opened and Alex came out, phone to his ear.

Alex glanced at Shades, then did a quick double take, mouth falling open as whoever was on the other end of the phone chattered on. Shades merely raised an eyebrow as he maneuvered by Alex into the office.

Closing the door, he stood silently waiting for Mariah to acknowledge his presence. When she noticed it was him and not Alex returning, she said a curt goodbye to the person on the phone and hung up.

Sweeping her eyes from the top of his head, to the bottom of his shoes, Shades didn't miss how her eyes lingered on his tie. Getting up from her seat behind the desk, she moved to stand in front of it. Beckoning him closer with just a twitch of her fingers, her eyes continued to feast upon his form. When he got within arms reach, she reached out to slide a hand over his new attire, praising the tailor for doing an outstanding job.

Her hands made their way to his neck and fondled his tie. "Is this for my benefit?" Shades nodded yes. Mariah smiled and tightened her grip on his tie to bring him close so she could whisper in his ear, "Let's hope this one lasts longer than the others."


End file.
